Socialist Revolutionaries

The Socialist Revolutionaries were the
most influential group in Russia up to 1917.

Various groups had the title
‘Socialist Revolutionary’ but they combined in 1900 to form one Socialist
Revolutionary Party with its headquarters in Karpov. The Socialist
Revolutionaries developed out of the Narodniks and with this developments came a
support for acts of terrorism. After 1900, Gershuni and Azef took the lead in
developing the terrorist element with the Socialist Revolutionaries. Though Azef
was a police agent, the Socialist Revolutionaries took part in many
assassinations.

The Socialist Revolutionaries played
little part in the 1905 Revolution. In December 1905, the Socialist
Revolutionaries held their first formal congress in Finland and came up with
their Four Points:

1)
Russia needed an armed uprising.

2)
Russia needed a federal republic.

3)
All private estates were to be expropriated.

4)
Terror could be used to advance the cause of the Socialist
Revolutionaries if it was sanctioned by the highest authority within the
Socialist Revolutionaries.

The Socialist Revolutionaries took no
part in the elections for the Duma in 1906. In the next election, they got 36
seats. When the Second Duma dissolved, they took no part in the elections for
the third Duma.

In March 1917, when the first revolution
took place, the Socialist Revolutionaries were in a strong position. The army
looked to them for help in the nation’s time of crisis. However, this was the
Socialist Revolutionaries high spot. After the March Revolution, the Socialist
Revolutionaries never had so much power – and Lenin was not going to allow
them the regain their old power.

During the era of the Provisional
Government under Kerensky, the Socialist Revolutionaries tried to court a
stronger relationship with Lenin and the Bolsheviks. In this they failed and in
1919, the party even proposed an overthrow of Lenin – on paper a farcical
belief, but in the reality of the Russian Civil
War, a possibility. Such plans
came to nothing.

Why did the Socialist Revolutionaries
fail?

They first failed to gain the support of
the peasants
- the largest social
group in Russia. Also the party’s hierarchy was also divided by belief. Some
wanted a greater input into terrorism while others wanted a move towards Marxism. As a party, the Socialist Revolutionaries never became an organised
group as they had off shoots at nearly every level – beliefs, campaigns etc.
One of the biggest factors in explaining why the Socialist Revolutionaries
failed to developed was the simple fact that they could not decide as a party on
how to move Russia on. Should they use violence? Political rhetoric? A
combination?

In November
1917, the actions taken by
the Bolsheviks left the Socialist Revolutionaries bereft of any political
credibility. They had failed to absorb the political significance of 1917 and in
November 1917, Lenin was not in a position where he had to bargain for support
with the Socialist Revolutionaries.

In January 1918, the Socialist
Revolutionaries meekly disbanded after a meeting of the Constituent Assembly.
Lenin held all the political aces and by now the Socialist Revolutionaries held
none.

Though the beliefs of the Socialist
Revolutionaries might have been popular, their grass roots support was weak.
After November 1917, the Socialist Revolutionaries were doomed to history.